All We Need is a Miracle
by HeartandImagination
Summary: AU: September 2012: Peter becomes very ill and is keeping it from his friends / Olivia has bittersweet news for him /A miracle will be needed for him to survive / Multi-chaptered fic. Rated T for foul language and allusion to adult themes.
1. Blinding White Light

**I've promised a fic involving Peter's illness for some time now. I just now had the inspiration to write it. It is an AU timeline piece taking place after the machine has been activated. This is a tear-jerker, for sure! Also, there will be quite a discussion of fetal stem cell research, which I am researching specifically for this story. It will be a story of several chapters, and I'm excited. I hope that it is enjoyed.**

**September, 2012**

It starts with extreme tiredness. No matter how much Peter sleeps, he just doesn't seem to have enough energy any more. He blames it on any number of things - too much coffee, an excess of greasy food, stress from the universal decay, or just plain getting old.

As weeks pass by, Peter starts to experience earth-shattering migraines. He used to have migraines as a teenager, but nothing on the scale of the whoppers plaguing him lately. The first one that he experiences in a long while causes him to snap on Astrid, of all people. He retreats into the cool, darkened recesses of Olivia's office after causing Astrid to cry. His brain feels like it is exploding with cluster bombs from a tormenting Hell.

_Fuck! Astrid of all people doesn't deserve taking shit from me..._

_**100010101 100011010 100011101 0101010101 100010101 100011010 100011101 0101010101**_

Peter has been keeping it all secret….

The bruises that won't heal… he's kept them concealed from Olivia. It's been especially difficult to hide the marks and bruises where he has had blood drawn for testing.

His appetite has gone away - even bacon makes him nauseous - but he takes the food that Walter offers him, and he quietly discards it. But he's losing weight, and he won't be able to hide that fact for much longer. He's already not a large guy, and his frame is starting to take on the appearance of a scarecrow. His belt has been tightened to the point of there being no more holes available, so he buys a smaller one. His shirts start to droop as they become more oversized.

Peter, normally so horny that he and Olivia were previously making love nearly every night, now feigns interest in sex every so often just so she won't question. She had to be dissatisfied, because his recent performance has been lackluster compared to his normal orgasm-inducing repertoire. But Olivia says nothing for now, maybe thinking they've gone past the "honeymoon phase" of their relationship.

The doctors that he has visited can not tell him what is wrong. It's annoying the tar out him, and he is also frightened.

_What the Hell is wrong with me? _Peter wonders as he looks into the bathroom vanity mirror. Then another terrible and throbbing pain strikes his head. It feels like all of the lobes of his brain are being stabbed repeatedly with jagged little pieces of glass. Peter ruffles through the medicine cabinet, trying to assemble his usual migraine defense. But this is not a normal migraine.

Peter's heart's tempo has increased to a dangerous cadence. His muscles start quivering, and he shivers uncontrollably as he loses control of his bladder. He can no longer stand up, and falls down to the floor. Then he sees no more.

**TBC...**


	2. The Secret is Out

**First, I'm really happy with the fact that so many have subscribed to this story. It's very encouraging , thank you. I enjoy reviews, so please feed me.**

**The Secret is Out**

Olivia is driving to the Bishop House after a fairly boring day, consisting mainly of meetings and planning. All very important tasks, but extremely mundane. It's raining and gloomy, as summer begins to draw to a close, with Labor Day just around the corner. Thankfully, this week has been uneventful, with no anomalies requiring attention and possible Amber quarantine. That's always a good thing. The results of their good planning.

Regardless, she wants nothing more than to kick off her shoes, take off her suit-jacket, let her hair down, and to curl up into the arms of the man she loves. Olivia has become more relaxed with her work and life balance in the past year. She still does her job to the best of her ability, but now she makes time for the people that make her own life worth living.

Plus, Peter is making lasagna and garlic bread tonight, and he is an amazing cook. So much so, that she had jokingly told him once that he could be her house-husband some day. Peter had laughed at her statement, and lifted her into his arms, planting sloppy kisses all over her face and neck. He said he'd be perfectly happy taking care of their home and a couple of little ones, and the huge, goofy grin he displayed confirmed that he was being completely honest. Olivia remembers thinking how in the world did the former world-hopping conman get so domesticated…

Her lips upturn as she thinks, _why stop at taking off just the jacket and shoes?_

Her cell phone rings, interrupting any further naughty daydreaming.

"Dunham."

Walter is frantically jabbering to her in the call.

"Walter, calm down… I'm on the way to the house."

Walter takes a breath, collects his thoughts, and he relays them to Olivia as succinctly as possible.

"I came home, expecting the dinner that Peter had promised to cook tonight, but found the assembled and uncooked lasagna sitting out on the counter of the kitchen island. It looked like it had been forgotten. That is so unlike Peter, so I called around for him, but received no answer. Then, when I went upstairs, I saw his foot, all askew and laying outside the bathroom door. I was terrified Olivia! I went in and found him lying face down on the floor… He has a pulse and is breathing, but he is experiencing syncope - he is unconscious. I called that… number, for emergencies… 911 - they're coming to help us. I've done all I can for him. .. Oh, I do wish they'd hurry!"

Walter is audibly shaking.

'Walter! Did he slip and fall? Does it looks look like he hit his head?'

Walter's voice wavers as he tells Olivia, "It doesn't look like he was bathing and slipped… there are some pill bottles strung about."

Olivia hears some rustling around as Walter is looking Peter over more. Even after losing some weight, Peter's limp body is a bit much for Walter to handle.

Walter checks Peter's pulse again, making note that it is very weak. His eyes, are not so good. The pupils are dilated, and the eyes are rolled back. His son's breathing is shallow and erratic, but at least it's there.

There is also the sound of doors and drawers shutting, as Walter tries to hold the phone against his chin, with varying degrees of success.

"Oh no, Olivia, you don't think Peter was trying to commit suicide, do you?"

Walter asks this disturbing question in all seriousness, because there was a period of time when Peter was having difficulty in coming to grips with the fact that the other universe was destroyed. Even though Walternate had escalated the battle for survival, leaving him with only bad choices, Peter blamed himself. As time passed, Peter went on living life, but Walter knew his son well - Peter will never be fully alleviated of that guilt until the day he dies. And he probably thinks he's going to Hell for it as well… Walter figures that at least he'll have company.

Olivia is thrown for a loop with this question, as she zips through yet another busy intersection, dodging cars with drivers that hadn't noticed the blaring and flashing siren.

"No, why would he? Walter, what kind of pills?"

Walter looks at the small print on each bottle…

"All pain medications… maybe he did OD?"

"Peter? Popping pills? I…can't… no… Other than coffee and silly B-movies, he just isn't the addictive type… Wait, he has been acting funny for several weeks now. His appetite has been non-existent… he's been sleeping way more than usual, and … I can't believe I'm telling you this, but his libido seems to have been shot as well…."

"Olivia, Dear, these are all legitimate prescriptions. Peter must have been taking them for a reason."

There is a pause.

"Olivia?" Walter queries in an uncertain manner.

She thinks of the odd behavior Peter had been displaying over the past month, and it all finally adds up for Olivia. She curses Peter's stubborn, mule-headed, sneaky evasiveness, and her blindness to his shenanigans.

"Walter… he's been sick and trying to hide it - to not to tell us."

The ambulance arrives, and Walter can do nothing more but watch as the paramedics examine Peter, then carefully lift him out of the bathroom and onto a gurney. Walter then sees the bruises on Peter's arms, and notices how deceptively thin his boy has been getting. Small tears escape his eyes and he mutters, "Oh Peter, why didn't you tell anyone?" Walter is left alone in the house to impatiently wait for Olivia to arrive. He sits on the couch, shoulders slumped over and hands holding his head. He tries to think that Peter will be OK.

He then gets up, steps upstairs to his son's room and packs a few items in a small bag. On Peter's dresser, there are many pictures. Walter pauses and picks one up. It is a rare professional shot of the both of them. In matching suits. Peter had agreed to the sitting for Father's Day. Nothing had made Walter more happy, because he never had such pictures of adult Peter. Just some candid shots. This cemented Peter's acceptance of Walter as his father, no matter where he had come from.

There is also a new candid shot of Peter with Olivia from their recent July 4th party. They are sitting backwards on the bench of a picnic table. Olivia is leaned up against Peter, her head against his shoulder, both of them relaxed and happily smiling at the photographer, which was Astrid. Walter remembers the joy the two of them had shared those days such a short time ago. He had figured it wouldn't be long before the both of them announced an engagement. Or at least he had hoped.

Olivia sighs as she finally reaches the Bishop's house, and slams the cell-phone shut. Her mind is irritated, and it's mentally ranting about Peter and his tendency to care for the world, but not himself. She is guilty of such actions as well, but he takes it to the extreme. Even though she is somewhat angry, her body is quaking with fear about Peter's health. They had been planning to possibly take the leap and get married. But he hasn't really spoken much more about it in awhile.

Olivia rushes Walter out of the house and into the passenger seat of her SUV. Olivia puts the car into drive, and she hits the gas, sirens flashing. Both are quiet the entire trip as Olivia pushes herself to get to the ER as fast as she can. Walter is visibly shaken and staring wordlessly out the window. This can't be good.


	3. Deadly Diagnosis with a Poor Prognosis

Olivia sets a hot, steamy bowl at the table, and Peter groans… He slumps back in the dining room chair, and looks at her with disbelief.

"Peter, you can't live on a diet of pudding cups, Jell-O, and halves of peanut butter sandwiches," Olivia says, as she tries to coax him into eating something more substantial, such as the chicken noodle soup. It is her own special recipe, with homemade broth, savory herbs, small chunks of chicken breast, and thick noodles. Peter sniffs the air, his mouth actually salivating for the first time in weeks.

"OK, I give up.. On one condition.." He raises his chin up to her as she stands next to him.

"What's that?"

"You promise to never stop mothering me when I'm sick." Cue big Peter-grin.

She holds his face in her hands and gives him a thorough and loving kiss, taking in his breathe as he avidly reciprocates. They give the steamy soup a run for the money. She reluctantly releases the kiss, their lips slightly stuck together as they part - she looks into his eyes, and they melt her heart.

He's acting like he has nothing more than the flu. It's sweet of him.

She can't believe what Walter told her.

She can't believe that Peter only has approximately 6 - 8 months to live.

She can't believe that she's going to lose him.

This is not happening.

_The day Peter collapsed in the bathroom turned out to be one of the worst in Olivia's life. Walter, not being satisfied with his son's care, had Peter airlifted to Massive Dynamic's hospital division. He was never more grateful for Bell's gift of the company, because Walter's genius mind, coupled with the company's resources, quickly gave the answer concerning Peter's condition. The illness that almost claimed his life as child, had reverted, and was back in full force. Walter's worst fear had come true. But he had no idea as to what had triggered it._

_The original solution that he used to treat Peter as a child would not work on what was now a mutated form of the illness. It worked by aggressively attacking and degrading the molecular bond structure of Peter's DNA. Over time, his major organs would just shut down. Walter was correct in calling it savage and wasting. Although he figured Peter had 6 -8 months, Walter at least knew some ways to make Peter not suffer as much, and possibly extend his life more in order to but time to find a cure._

_Walter was inconsolable. Nina stayed with him, but she too was very upset. Olivia had always wondered why Nina was so invested in Peter's life, albeit from a distance. She also wondered why of all people did Peter suffer from this illness. There was nothing like it in any medical journal._

_Even the ever-optimistic Astrid, who loves Peter as brother, was visibly torn apart._

And for Olivia, the news became even more heart-wrenching this morning…

Peter downs his soup and actually asks for more, which makes Olivia smile.

"Would you like some crackers, Peter?"

He nods his head in the affirmative.

She IS going to tenderly 'mother him,' if that's what it takes to keep him around for as long as possible. Walter spent much of his days in New York, utilizing the vast resources of his company in the quest to find a cure for Peter's deadly ailment. So far, he has been able to devise a promising treatment that at least keeps Peter from suffering from an even more rapid cellular decay. But all it is really doing is slowing down the inevitable.

"Aren't you going to eat some, Olivia?" Peter snaps her out of her contemplative stupor.

"I'm fine. I'll have some later." Olivia shakes her depressive thoughts from her mind.

Peter fold his arms across his chest and gives her one of his best "I care for you" disapproving scowls.

"Now you don't get to mother me, but not have me expect that you take care of yourself," he tells her with a stern inflection.

As she puts away the remaining soup, and clears the table, she does not look at him. "Peter, I'm not going to get into this with you right now. I promise I'll make up for it later. I'm just not at all hungry. Look, Astrid is coming over to stay with you while I'm gone.. I'm going to my office at Headquarters to tie up some loose ends on a recent terrorist arrest. I'll be back shortly. Please rest, OK?"

She kisses him on the forehead and then she looks into his eyes, and although he is tired, they still shine with his love and concern for her. Which makes her squirm on the inside with guilt. Astrid arrives and Olivia tells her the Peter is doing well today, but she just doesn't want to leave him alone. Astrid smiles and tells Olivia that they'll probably watch a movie while she's gone, or she might take Peter to the theater instead.

"Olivia, you look worn-out. You'll do Peter no good by killing yourself with worry."

Olivia nods her head and replies, "Well, I think I'm still in shock, Astrid. The denial stage is taking its time with me."

"Walter, will find something, Olivia. Just you see. I know it might not mean much to you, Olivia, but I've asked my father's church to pray for Peter… and for you, too."

Olivia had nearly forgotten that Astrid had come from a religious family. So, had she, but she had long lost her faith, thinking of how her devoted mother's life had turned out.

"Thank you, Astrid. That actually means more than you know."

Olivia tosses her briefcase into her Ford, slides into the driver's seat, and she clicks her seatbelt together. She starts to turn the ignition but becomes overwhelmed. Her head falls onto the steering wheel and she sobs.

She can't believe that she has something very important to tell him. Something that should be happy news, but given the circumstances, the joy in her is muted.

**AN: At some point, I am going to make Peter hurt ****L The question is, how much whump do I inflict on the poor guy?**


	4. Bittersweet News

**Thanks again for the reviews. I have another update as a thank you for the Fourth of July ;)**

The day goes by very slowly for Olivia. It turns out that the terrorist arrests made by one of the Fringe teams under her direction, are just a blip on the radar. These people seemed hell-bent on further destroying a world already thrown completely off-balance by the destruction of its sister universe.

Olivia was finding it hard to concentrate and make connections when her own personal universe is in such disarray. Wearing her reading glasses, she skims through some reports, really not paying too much attention. She stands up and stretches at several points, and even makes a trip to the break room for some coffee. She runs into Broyles, and is shocked when the hard-edged director gives her a hug. She hopes that he won't be upset with her when she asks for a leave of absence in 6 months, although he assured her that anything she needed was hers. It is also then when she decides she shouldn't be drinking any coffee.

Rachel has been trying to reach her all day. Olivia has not yet told her or Ella about Peter's situation. As far as Rachel knew, Olivia and Peter were on the path to engagement. Ella is so excited about the possibility of officially having Peter as her uncle. However, Olivia avoids Rachel, as much as it is out of character for her to do so. She had to talk to Peter tonight before her sister, otherwise she's break out the secret she's keeping.

Finally giving up, Olivia packs it in for the day. She's been playing at avoidance more than anything. She really hadn't accomplished much, and all she really needed was an excuse to think things over. Deciding that she'll make Peter happy by eating well in from to him this evening, Olivia makes her way home.

Once in Peter's cool and darkened bedroom, Olivia slips out of her work clothes, removing each piece with surgical precision. She's very tired, and just wants to rest some before she tells Peter what he needs to hear. Lifting the blanket as little as possible, she slides into the bed next to his larger frame. He's lying on his side with his back to her, and snoring softly. Olivia listens to his shallow breaths and yearns to hear his heart beat. Her nostrils take in his own unique scent, a blend of his personal manly musk combined with his choice cologne. Breathing in more deeply, she tries to catalog this sensation into her memory, so that when he is gone, she'll still recall all of him.

Some time later, Olivia feels a heavy weight around her. It is familiar, but not as hefty as it once was. Peter has draped his arm around her at some point during her nap. Olivia rolls over, and sees him smiling at her, his soft eyes crinkled with his happiness at seeing her.

"Hello, Beautiful. When did you get in?" He kisses her on the tip of her nose, and keeps his still-focusing eyes attentive to hers.

"A couple of hours ago. I didn't want to wake you, and I needed a nap, too."

"Peter, Walter wanted me to let you know that Massive Dynamic is sending a couple of medical team members here tomorrow to assess your last treatment. I had explained to Nina that they could do what they need to do here just fine, and Walter agreed."

"Thank you for that," Peter says, as she helps him sit up. "I'd really like to go for a walk at the park this evening. I feel well enough to do it, and would really like to while I still can. I want nothing more than a romantic stroll with you, Love.

Olivia looks at him, as he is all cheerful for once, and displaying some energy. And he wants to expend it in her company.

She hates having to bring him crashing down. Full disclosure never hurt so much...

She remains seated on the bed, with Peter looking expectantly at her to get up. He then reaches his hand out to her, offering to bring her up to her feet, even in his state. A few tears start to fall down Olivia's face, and she turns her head down in a futile attempt to keep Peter from seeing them. The whole time she's been trying not to quake inside from what she has to tell him.

Peter stands dumbfounded for a second, looking quizzically at her, then kneels down in front of Olivia, cupping her face with his left hand.

"Livia, Sweetheart, come on, I'm sorry that I said that. I've not lost all hope yet, I was just happy to be feeling decent for once."

Olivia sniffles, and looks up to him , shaking her head slightly. He's got it all wrong.

"No, Peter... it's not that.. well, it is partly, but there is something else."

"Ok, well, if it's that upsetting to you, what is it?" Peter softly asks, his eyes intently meeting Olivia's. He's confused as what could upset her even more than his failing health.

Olivia wipes her eyes with the back of her hand, and then motions for Peter to sit on the bed next to her. He takes the cue, and groans as he stands back up, then sits down beside her. Taking her hands, clasping them like precious objects, he reiterates gently, "What is it?"

Olivia breathes in deeply, deciding now is the time. She's known all day, and the knowledge has just about driven her crazy.

She squeezes Peter's hands and meets his eyes squarely. This is the man she loves and now he's so much more... There's no further way to lessen the impact of her revelation, so she bluntly tells him.

X

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"Peter, we're going to have a baby."

**AN**: _Yeah, I've entered baby territory, and normally you'd have to drag me kicking and screaming. But this is Peter and Olivia, and trust me, it's worth it._


	5. Vita Nova

Peter's breath stops, and his eyes go wide. A million thoughts are now running through his head. Then he does what he decides is the best course of action, for now. He draws Olivia into his arms, and he hugs her tightly, murmuring into her hair that it's all OK, he's here for her, like always.

Olivia knows that deep down, he is happy. They had talked about children, and Peter wants to be a father. But she did not imagine that it would have been under such circumstances. Both of them had basically been raised without present fathers, and now their child was looking at a similar upbringing.

Peter releases her from his embrace, and then places his hand on her tummy, looking up at her, with a small smile on his face.

"How long?"

"Would you believe eight weeks? I've been making every excuse in the world for my missed periods. I attributed it to the tiredness, nausea and such to all the stress I've been suffering. Especially since I have an Implanon. The chances of getting ready pregnant with that are miniscule. Either you have some super sperm, or something went wrong."

Peter sits still for a bit, his brow furrowed, obviously thinking.

"When you crossed over to the other side, it must have made the implant's molecular structure unstable. And you did that several times. I'd have never thought about it. Really, I'm honestly surprised that it didn't happen sooner. This means that we've been open to conception pretty much the whole time we've been together… The implant may have only had sporadic efficiency."

"I'm sorry, Peter. I told you we were covered."

He tilts his head to one side and covers his forehead with the palm of his right hand, then he sighs.

He says low with an easy and understanding softness, "No, no, Livia. Don't be sorry. You didn't know."

He looks at her, face still wet with tears. _She should not be crying._

Of course, the elephant in the room is the fact that Peter is not expected to live to see the child be born. Neither of them want to discuss it.

"Hmmm, eight weeks… that should place conception around close to the beginning of July." Peter's lips upturn into a mischievous smile, and he cocks his head. "And you very well know what we were doing then, considering we had a whole week off alone, for the first time ever."

Olivia finds a package of tissues in the night stand, taking some to wipe her eyes and blow her nose. She giggles low and blushes slightly.

"Yeah, we had out own brand of fireworks for the Fourth, that's for sure."

She frowns when a realization strikes her.

"Two months, Peter. That was just two months ago… we were so happy. What the Hell happened shortly after to bring this on? I just… I can't… damn it, I may sound like a child, but all of this is not fair!"

Olivia leans over and leans her head into Peter's chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heart. Peter doesn't say anything, but caresses her back and runs his long fingers through her golden strands of fine hair. There is some verbal silence between them for a few minutes, but they've always been able to communicate with each other through their eyes and bodies.

"You'll need to go to the doctor as soon as possible," Peter advises Olivia, his protective side going into full gear.

"I'm already arranged my first appointment for next week."

Peter shakes his head at Olivia, and he laughs.

"No, no… not just any doctor will do for the mother of my child, " he tells her as he grins hard. We'll have Massive Dynamic take care of you and the baby. I want only the best for the both of you."

"I'm going to make it so that you don't have to worry about anything financially ever again. I have a meeting with my lawyer at the end of the week. Livia, I haven't been completely honest with you…"

"I own half of Massive Dynamic. I'm one of the richest men in the world , even. You never knew, because I use a business alias that's reported to the media. I told Walter that if there was anything he ever needed to keep secret, it was this. I'm a simple man, Olivia. All of that money does me no good."

Olivia is trying to not be upset about his omission. "When were you going to tell me"

"When we married, I promised myself I'd reveal it all to you before our wedding. I'm changing my will so that you inherit my share of Massive Dynamic. Unlike the struggles we both endured, you and our child will not want for anything - ever. He or she will have the best education. Plus, I'm starting a trust fund for your niece, Ella."

"That is all nice and reassuring… Except we will be missing the most important thing ever - you , Peter."

Peter breathes in hard, and turns away from her, then he states with firm conviction, "If anything, Olivia, I have more incentive than ever to survive."

He stands back up, happy that no dizziness or muscle weakness was present at this time.

"Come on, Sweetheart. Let's go pick out some things for the baby and start to prepare a nursery. That will make me very happy. And we can surprise Walter with the news when he wonders what we are doing up here."

Olivia thinks, _Walter… at least the baby will have a very loving grandfather, something that neither I nor Peter had as children._

"He'll be overjoyed, even given the circumstances. Sounds like fun, and we should celebrate this new life that we both have created. So yes, let's go, Peter."

**AN: Next chapter, some fluff sounds good.**


	6. Feathering a Nest

The Bishops have an extra bedroom next to Peter and Olivia's room. Astrid and Peter spend part of a Saturday afternoon cleaning it. Not only that, but it was nearly sanitized in preparation for a baby not due for 7 months. Olivia had said that she wanted to keep a bassinet with her during the baby's first few months, but then it was off to his or her own room.

_She and Peter had a fun time picking out a few things to get the baby nursery started. Olivia was happy to include Peter in the decision-making process, at least it gave him something useful to do and helped to keep his spirits up. They decided on a gender neutral color for the paint to cover the room, plus they selected a cute theme to go with it. Olivia called Astrid and told her the news, and asked her to join them the next day. Astrid was all sparkles about the baby, and said that she'd even hand-knit a special wool baby blanket for the child._

Walter pays the cab driver that took him home from the airport. He has a briefcase in his hands, its leather encasing notes like precious documents, which they are to him - they concern possible solutions to treat Peter's illness. The old man is tired… oh so tired… and he just needs to fall down in his makeshift study-room bed for a few hours. He muses to himself that he is no longer the driven young man that cured Peter so long ago. He is still just as driven, but his body is unable to match his level of devotion to the task at hand.

Luckily, Walter has impressive help this time around. Nina Sharp and Brandon Fayette have poured all excess resources from Massive Dynamic into saving Peter's life. Surely, the best scientific minds in genetics and biomedicine can come up with a cure. At least that is what keeps Walter going. Hope and optimism are all that has been keeping him chugging along without breaking down completely these past few weeks. So far, they have been able to retard the disease to a near stand-still. Walter hopes that if anything, it will buy him some more time with Peter.

The key is inserted into the lock of the front door, and as he turns it, he notices both Astrid and Olivia's car parked nearby the house. He smiles and hopes that he can have both of them stay for dinner. The two women bring out the best in Peter - and him. Walter steps in and carefully sets the briefcase down on his writing desk near the door. He removes his coat, expecting someone to greet him, but no one meets him at the door. Sounds of laughter come barreling down the stairs. Walter can hardly believe his ears - to hear laughter is the last thing he expected.

Gently walking up the staircase, it's old wooden boards creaking and groaning with each step, Walter finds the source of the merry laughs. The light is on in the extra bedroom. He pads around the corner as the occupants are oblivious to his presence. Just as he enters the door-way planning to surprise them, he bursts out in laughter. Peter and Astrid are flinging sea foam green paint at each other, and Olivia is having a blast laughing at their silly paint war.

"Oh, Hello Walter!" Olivia smiles deep as Peter and Astrid stop looking at each other and stare at Walter wide-eyed and embarrassed, like two teens caught in the act.

"Are you all making a lab up here," Walter asks. "That shade of green seems appropriate to an institution of some sort. In fact, I think that many patient cells at St Claire's are painted in that particular hue. It always reminded me of pistachio pudding." Walter shivers at this apparent memory while Peter and Olivia look at each other with concerned eyes, not liking this unpleasant association concerning the chosen color for their nursery.

"No Walter," Peter says softly as he dabs at some of the paint on his arms, trying unsuccessfully to remove it as much of it sticks to his arm hair. The light green covers some of the black and blue spots that had resulted from his blood work, adding quite a contrast to the subtle pastel color. He flashes Olivia a knowing grin as he picks up a packet of cute seahorse wall appliqués, and he offers a warm and affectionate smile to Walter.

"We're going to have a new addition to the family."

"Really? Are you and Olivia going to get married after all? Wonderful!"

Peter's eyes squint together and he smirks.

"Nah, Walter. Olivia is pretty much staying with me. We need the room for someone else. A little Bishop."

Walter looks at Peter, slightly confused, and then glances to Olivia who is smiling shyly, the way she always does when she has a big secret that she desperately wants to blurt out. Walter sees now why only Peter and Astrid were involved with the paint fight…

Walter runs over to Olivia and he puts his hand on her abdomen, not realizing that most pregnant women tend to be highly protective of their personal space - and this is certainly personal.

"Olivia, Dear… a baby?"

Olivia's eyebrows arch a mile high at Walter's touch.

"Yes, Walter. A baby."

Walter hugs Olivia gently, and he cries. He releases her and walks up to Peter, looking him square in the eyes, and embraces him hard.

"I really don't know what to say, Son. A man always wants to leave a legacy. Now you have yours."

The four of them finish painting the room meant for the pride of their Fringe family. Once they finish, Walter looks the room over and closes his eyes, imagining the cries of his grandchild. He imagines a mother singing a lullaby. He imagines the silence from a father taken too young.

Later that night, after Walter made yet another trip back to New York, the Bishop house grew quiet once more. It was an inviting calm, a refuge from the treacherous storm enveloping their lives. Olivia draws a bath for herself and for Peter. She sits in his lap, facing him, as they relax in the warm water, and they lavishly kiss one another. The water feels so good and relaxing to each of them. Just for a little while, they forget about their burdens and only focus on each other. It gets hot, and both are breathing hard. Olivia whispers into his ear, "Let's make love."

Peter continues to kiss her some, then he buries his head into her shoulder and mutters:

"I wish for nothing more right now, but I'm afraid I can't."

Olivia makes a pouty-face.

"Peter, why not? You're feeling OK, right?"

He is blushing and says sheepishly to her… "I want to, but if you haven't noticed, I _really _can't."

It then dawns on Olivia - and she feels ashamed of herself.

"Oh… "

She turns beet-red as that is a touchy topic, one that she thought she wouldn't have to deal with for awhile.

_His blood pressure issues are not exactly conductive to his plumbing…_

Peter shrugs because he just accepts it. Or he pretends to not let it bother him, anyway.

"Yes, a big blow to the male ego. But my tongue still works," he whispers hot into her ear, teasing the edge with his tongue, then going full into her ear as if to prove a point. It positively sends shivers of pleasure down her spine, and goose-bumps arise on her flesh.

They both towel each off and head back to their bed.

Her brief happiness echoes through their room. Peter is overjoyed to make her yell out his name in sheer ecstasy once more, even if it may be for the last time.

**AN: Next, a look into Peter's viewpoint, and things start to change.**


	7. One Day at a Time

**A/N: **

This was a difficult chapter for me to write. How can a fictional character make one cry so much?

**One Day at a Time**

**On the ground I lay**

**Motionless in pain**

**I can see my life flashing before my eyes**

**Did I fall asleep?**

**Is this all a dream**

**Wake me up, I'm living a nightmare**

**I will not die (I will not die)**

**I will survive**

**I will not die, I'll wait here for you**

**I feel alive, when you're beside me**

**I will not die, I'll wait here for you**

_In My Time of Dying _by Three Days Grace

Some days are better than others for Peter. He spends a lot of his time lately sleeping. Because of his childhood bout with this illness, he knows all too well just how it is to watch the world go by, and the absolute frustration of having to stay on the sidelines. However, there are some days when he is just well enough to assist Olivia with some of her casework, specifically with the scientific aspects. He also assists remotely in field operations. It at least makes him feel useful.

He is concerned that Olivia is pushing herself too hard with the young Fringe Division. But it's Olivia, she's a Captain, and she just wants to keep people safe. And she does a damned good job of it. No major Amber quarantines have been needed for 6 months thank to her vigilance and keen perceptive abilities.

Peter loves her so much and is very proud of her, but sometimes he feels that she is trying to avoid him, that she can't bear to be around him. He'll catch her looking at him sometimes and her expression is just almost indescribable and it squeezes his heart. It is a mosaic-mask of worry, fear, sadness, love and pity. But if she notices him looking at her, she alters it to a stoic facade. But Peter knows that there are cracks, and that someday they will break.

After using the machine, Peter had collaborated on the methods used to stop most tears and breaches in this universe before they became out of control. Some of the Massive Dynamic scientists were indignant that this "amateur" was involved in such huge projects at first - that is, until he delivered positive results. Then they were stunned when they found out - not from Peter - that he is Walter's son. Brandon was the one who reminded them what the name Bishop meant in the company. Peter and Brandon had become fast friends since Peter took on more of an active role in his father's company. Although sometimes Peter has a weird urge to punch Brandon in the face…

Peter had assured them that no harm was done, and that they need not worry about their jobs. He told them that he didn't like unknowns playing in his sandbox either. But truthfully, Peter felt a sense of immense hurt. It really didn't matter to people how smart he is , what he knows, and what can do, if he didn't have those credentials to back him up.

Peter had planned on going back to M.I.T. and legitimately earning his degrees, with aspirations of becoming a dual Bio and mechanical engineer. He had sent his application in early in the spring and had completed several interviews. Peter never dreamed that he could get this far after his past fraud and the scandal caused by it at M.I.T. But his name had been cleared, and his brilliance could not be questioned. Although he had to admit, his sponsorship from Massive Dynamic was probably the lynchpin.

Other days, when he can barely move, Peter calms his soul playing the piano. He alternates between tunes of happiness and those of the darkest Blues origin. Some nights, Walter or Olivia will just sit, listening to him play, enjoying a rare moment of just the three of them together. He also reads a lot and plays around with games on his laptop. As much as he desperately tries to maintain an exercise regimen, as time passes he spends more and more of his waking moments in medical treatment at the Fringe Division's new hospital wing in Boston.

_He's tired of fucking needles._

_He's sick of false hope._

_His heart breaks every time Olivia tries to smile and can't._

Peter makes it a point to attend all of Olivia's OBGYN appointments. Although he tries to show great strength for Olivia, deep inside he is so frightened for her and the baby. Being ever the analytical man, he plays many different scenarios in his head.

What if Walternate did something to her when she was his prisoner?

What if the disease he had would be passed on to the child?

What if Cortexiphan would somehow harm her or the baby?

But he was also hopeful when they watched an ultrasound and found out that they were going to have a Peter Junior. Olivia also submitted to an amniocentesis, and the results were clear. Walter took some of the sample fluid to use for further examination and tests, if need be. At least he was fairly certain that he did not pass the disease to his son.

One night, while Olivia is asleep, Peter wakes up in terrible and relentless pain. The entirety of his body just aches, and his head and abdomen throb. He slips out of bed, careful to not wake Olivia who is enjoying a rare, deep sleep. His efforts to remain quiet are almost in vain as his legs nearly give out from under him, and he has to bite his lip to keep from cursing. The circulation in his legs has gotten terrible, making his legs feel like the dead weight of sand-bags, and Peter has to take a moment to wake his limbs up.

Hobbling almost like Igor to the bathroom, Peter takes an inordinate time taking care of his full-bladder. He's not amused that he can't even take a proper leak anymore… He leans his forehead against the cool of the wall, scrunching up his face and straining, until finally, he's drained.

The vanity mirror has been a recent subject of avoidance for him. For whatever reason, he decides to look at himself as fumbles with the buttons of his pajama bottoms, and of course, wishes he didn't. He's never had much of a neck, but what he has now supporting his fairly large head is laughable. His hair is sparse compared to the thick, curly locks he used to have. But his eyes are what bother him the most. They give a look of hallowed defeat - dark and near sunken. Visions enters his mind concerning his demise - of getting sicker, more gaunt and they end eventually with a display of his body in a casket… it shakes him to the core.

Peter fights back the urge to bust the damned mirror that taunts him several times a day…

Creeping down the stairs, he stops by the kitchen long enough to grab a beer. He isn't supposed to be drinking alcohol, but at this point, he does not care, and besides, who's going to stop him?

It's winter, so he tosses his pea-coat over his flannel pajamas and steps out onto the back porch. It isn't too cold for a Boston winter's night and he desperately wants the air. He listens to the sounds of a city that is still alive, although slower in pace. Taking a small plastic Ziploc out of his pocket, he removes a small joint, then fumbles for a lighter in another pocket. He smells the "Brown Betty" that his father has given him, and nearly gags. But of course, everything makes him nauseous these days. Walter had assured Peter that it would ease his pain - both physical and mental.

Peter closes his eyes and takes a large puff. It's a new sensation for him, and not all that unpleasant. He feels kind of floaty and free, the pain in his wrecked body set adrift. But mentally, his pain abides. He imagines all of the things that he had hoped for. The birth of his son. A humble but beautiful wedding to Olivia. The first steps of their child. Walter playing with his grandson. Earning those degrees. His own grandchildren. Retiring with Olivia.

As a child he never thought much about death. It really didn't scare him. Maybe it was because he had innocence on his side. As a adult, he had committed many sins, surely unforgivable by the standards of any benevolent deity. Plus, having something to lose makes it hurt even more. It would be so much easier if he was just a con-man that ended up dead in a gutter somewhere, only to be tossed into a pauper's grave.

He chuckles to himself, staring hard into the night as he wipes the stray tears away.

_How silly it is of me to even think that after what I had done to all those innocent people in the other universe, that I'd be able to just go on and live happily ever after? Payback is a bitch, and karma has bit me in the ass._

Reaching into his pockets again to warm his hands, Peter retrieves a folded envelope. He instantly knows what it is before unfolding it to read the address. Unfolding the letter, he reviews the first few lines:

_Mr. Peter Bishop:_

_As President of The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I'm pleased to inform you of your acceptance to the Engineering program for the Fall 2013 term._

…

…

…

Peter folds the letter up and places it back into its envelope. He holds it between both of his clasped hands as he sits in the outdoor chair, bent over and leaning between his knees. Blinking hard for a few minutes, he sits straight back up, and he guzzles down the rest of his beer, crushing the can hard and tossing it to the side. It lands with a hard thump on the ground.

He removes the lighter once again from his pocket and clicks it, eyes mesmerized by the flame. Then, it is brought up to the edge of the letter, and Peter silently cries streams as he watches it melt away in the flames, tears glistening with the reflections. Tossing it to the ground as it nears the end, he watches it slowly extinguish, another expired dream.

Deciding that he is cold enough and not wanting Olivia to wake and worry about his absence, Peter starts to shove the bag of joints and lighter back into his pocket. His hands brush against a coin and he pulls it out, smiling at its face glistening in the moonlight.

_My lucky silver half-dollar…_

Peter kisses the surface and runs the metallic coin over the knuckles of his fingers.

_Please bring me luck._

Peter decides to do something very special for his son to keep his dream alive.


	8. The Book

_In a box, high up on the shelf. Meant for you. No one else. Is a piece of the puzzle known as life. Wrapped in guilt. Sealed up tight..._

**March, 2013**

Olivia thinks about how unsettling Peter's complexion has become. Being of German/ Irish descent, he was always quite pale, but his current shade of white is scary to her. It didn't help that he had many bruises over his thinning arms and torso, the results of being tested and pumped full of an extreme cocktail of antibiotics and experimental drugs. His eyes, once so bright and expressive, are often dulled with exhaustion, pain and despair. The first major system to shut-down in Peter's body was his kidneys. Dialysis has now become part of his weekly routine.

It hurts her to have to see him like this, and she feels her stomach lurch with nausea. She wishes every day when she wakes up, that it all is just a bad nightmare. But no, Peter is really dying, and time is running out to save him.

She promises herself that she will stay by his side, no matter how hard it gets. People tend to get detached sometimes when a loved own is facing the end of a terminal illness, leaving the poor, bewildered and abandoned person to face their last mortal journey alone. Olivia vows to stick by him to the end of the road, and to let him go with love.

Her care-taking offers him hope, and she'll keep him at home as long as possible before the inevitable. Peter had explicitly stated that he did not want to die at a hospital, under any circumstances.

He doesn't have much longer, and it's killing Olivia inside.

Rachel came to visit her because she is concerned for Olivia's mental health. Her sister just never was able to wear her heart on her sleeve. But she would confide in her one and only sister, those things that were just too much for her to bear alone. For the past 4 years, she's had Peter to lean on, but now, even that has been taken from her. Rachel thought of how horrible it was after all Liv has been through. First, the quick and dramatic death of John right in her arms, and now the languid and painful illness killing Peter, who is slowly slipping away from her like sand in an hourglass. Rachel knows that Olivia cared for John, but she LOVES Peter unlike anything she has ever witnessed.

"Aunt Liv, can I read Peter a bedtime story?"

Olivia is touched by her niece's sweet offer.

"Oh, I don't know baby girl, maybe you should ask him?" Olivia looks over to Peter, sitting in Walter's old, leather over-stuffed recliner, just trying to stay attentive.

Peter really couldn't tell her no, because she may never get another chance.

"Sure, Princess. Let me get ready to sleep, and I'll love to hear you read a story."

Ella has brought a book about a puppy that is sick, but her friends help her to get better.

"See, Uncle Peter. There are happy endings. You'll have a happy ending, too. We can read this to my new cousin when he needs a bedtime story."

The little girl snuggles into him, and Peter tries to choke back the tears because he doesn't want to crush the little girl's heart.

"I sure hope so, Munchkin…"

One night, when everyone has went to sleep and the house is silent, Olivia lies down with Peter, and caresses his cheeks and his hair. They stay quiet for some time, just enjoying looking into each others eyes. Olivia is amazed that deep inside, Peter still has a fire within him. His eyes tell all that his body is trying to hide.

Peter turns his head toward the nightstand, and uses his arms to prop himself to a sitting position, and although the movement is shaky, he is successful. He reaches in to the drawer next to him and pulls out something. Olivia watches him with a smile, curious as to what he is doing.

"I was going to give you an engagement ring, but I figure since John had one for you before he died, maybe that isn't such a good idea…"

Olivia lets out a small gasp of surprise.

"Peter, I would have gladly taken it from you, " she says to him with a low whisper.

Peter's whole face beams at this declaration. "Well, good because I do have one for you, and have for awhile."

Olivia's eyes grow wide, she tilts he head down, blushing.

"Peter…"

He rolls over facing her and then hands Olivia a mid-size, black leather-bound journal. He keeps his hands on top of hers for a few moments, staring at her with great love and conviction.

"What is it?" she quietly asks.

Peter motions her down closer to his lips. "Open it." His voice is barely audible.

Inside, there is a dedication page. It reads:

_To My Son:_

_Na einai kalitero anthropo apo ton patera tou._

_Ask your mother what it means. _

_P.S._

_Always Honor Her._

_Love,_

_Your Father_

"It's beautiful, Peter," Olivia says as she places a feathery kiss on Peter's forehead. "I'll give it to him when he is old enough."

She knows well that Peter is fond of the written word as a way to express his thoughts and feelings. She learned that when she accepted 'The Book' that he had wanted her to read. The one that had caused so much pain when it arrived at her home, but it turned out to be great insight into what molded Peter's personal philosophy.

She places the book on her nightstand, turns out the lamp, and helps to cover the both of them up. Peter kisses her on the cheek and places his hands on her protruding belly. He whispers into her ear, "Olivia, Sweetheart. You're tired. Please try to sleep tonight. You and the baby need it. Don't worry about me - I'm not scared."

_You may not be, but I sure am…_

Later that night, Olivia flips through the book as Peter sleeps. She can't sleep at all because she worries for Peter, and for their son. She's afraid of the morning that she might wake up and find Peter dead…

The baby is making his presence well-known now. It's like he enjoys poking into her ribcage… and bladder. He's going to be her much-loved-little-pain-in-the-ass.

There are many pages about Peter's childhood, and the words open a door to him that still remain yet unexplored for her. He speaks of his past, of doing things for others that crossed his moral boundaries. He tells of being an angry, young man. One that lashed out at the world, and tried to place his heart into a box.

Then he tells the story of:

"_How I Met Your Mother."_

Olivia smiles at Peter's words describing his uneasiness of coming back with her and working with Walter. He admits falling for her shortly after John had died, a fact that which Olivia had long suspected.

He goes into great detail of his decision to go to the other universe, and how very much he regretted it shortly after he arrived. Then Olivia came for him and all but pronounced her love. He describes the joy he felt when he came back here - only to become crushed by the reveal that he was not with the woman he loved so much.

Olivia notices that the pages where Peter had written about telling her the truth, appeared to have been wet in places.

_God, he had cried writing this… _

He wrote that he truly believed that he had lost her for good, before they even had a chance. But he decided to always be there for her, and just let things happen.

Her heart hurt so bad as she sat remembering the night she told him … "and I don't want to be with you."

She places the book down on the nightstand, and brushes her hands lovingly against Peter's sleeping form.

It is a clear night, and she goes out for some fresh air, which would be good for her and the baby. At 7 months, she is fairly large, and it is awkward for her to maneuver around sometimes.

The stars are hard to see, but she views a few bright ones. Olivia sit quietly for awhile, thinking about her life and how much Peter means to her. His devotion to her after all they've been through. The absolute patience he showed her when she needed time to think about her own life, and how, if at all, he fit into it. The immense courage he showed when he entered the machine, not knowing what it might have done to him. The fact that he chose to stay here, at the price of the destruction of his world of origin - including his own mother…

Olivia looks at the night sky even more contemplative. She misses her mother so much, and feels terrible for Peter and what happened to his - both Elizabeths. Olivia sighs deeply at the loss, but also smiles at the life that she and Peter have created together. A child of two worlds.

Standing with a slight breeze blowing through her hair, Olivia feels oh so small and large at the same time. An indescribable feeling. Then she does something that she has not done for a very long time - she prays…

**AN: Next update will be sciencey. It may be a week before it is posted, because I am trying to help with an effort to have something really cool happen for Fringe fans. **

**- Song lyric at top is from ._45_ by Shinedown.**


	9. An Olive Branch

**I had this in mind for later, but decided to move this chapter up a little. Anyone still reading?**

It's early morning, and Olivia is making breakfast, complete with a cup of decaffeinated coffee. One of the things she misses the most while being pregnant is her delicious, aromatic full-caffeine hot-beverage. Though she knows that Peter misses it even more. She takes a nutritional supplement out of the refrigerator and prepares it for Peter's breakfast. Olivia wrinkles her nose at the nauseating fluid, supposedly a "delicious mocha-coffee flavor." Though she knows that it won't be long until they have him on feeding tubes, she tries to indulge his tastes as long as possible. Peter had told her that he misses Walter's pancakes, bacon, coffee and Astrid's pies most of all. If it wasn't for the baby, Olivia wouldn't have much of an appetite at all.

She plans to go with Astrid to take Peter out for a walk before his treatments for the week. Except for Peter, it won't really be a walk, as Astrid will be pushing his wheel chair. He no longer has the muscle strength to stand for long periods of time, and his nerves are showing slow signs of degradation. His hands, once strong and certain, now constantly shake. His long and once nimble fingers often involuntarily curl, making it so that he can no longer type or do any other activity requiring fine motor-dexterity. Olivia helps him dress each day, and it frustrates him to no end, although he likes to look at her as she buttons his shirts. He's been moved downstairs, to the study area and is now asleep.

There is a knock at the front door. Olivia finds it odd, because they aren't expecting any nurses until afternoon.

She looks through the peep-hole, and sees Walter standing at the door. But Walter had just talked to her from Massive Dynamic, all excited because they think they might have made a breakthrough to cure Peter once and for all. They are in the first testing stages before giving it a try with Peter.

"I forgot my keys, Olivia."

Olivia reaches over to the roll-top desk for her gun and slowly opens the door, making the weapon clearly visible to the man standing on the doorstep. She backs him outside to try and avoid waking Peter.

"You're not Walter," she growls at the double, who is standing with a golf cap clutched in his hands. "Although it's a very good attempt. Too bad Walter is hardly ever here, and I just spoke to him on the phone."

"I want to see him, Olivia. Peter - my son."

"I'm sorry, but I really don't think he wants to see you. And don't you dare call him your son. His dad is beside himself trying to save his life. Peter has already beaten himself up enough over destroying your world - even though you are the one who made him make that hurried choice. He doesn't need you making him feel even more shitty. I assure you, that any punishment you think that Peter deserves, he is paying it tenfold… as am I. Now leave, before I have you arrested!"

Olivia tries to shut the door in the man's face, but he has one of his feet in the door.

"He had a son."

Olivia stops cold, and blinks, at this version of Walter Bishop. All of the air seems to have left her body, and her heart feels as if it had been stabbed.

"You're lying!"

"No, my girl, I'm afraid not. When our Olivia Dunham came back to my side, she was pregnant with Peter's child… her birth control had malfunctioned when she crossed over… His name was Henry."

Olivia catches her breath upon hearing the name Henry. The last she heard of Henry Arliss Higgins is when he tried to help her get to Liberty Island so she could attempt to get back home. Now he and his beautiful Jasmine are both dead.

Walternate sees the recognition on her face.

"Yes, my grandson - Peter's son- was named after the cab driver whom we later found had spoken with you. He delivered the child under some… extenuating circumstances. Olivia could not name the boy after his father of course, but selected Henry as his name.

"Just how exactly do you think that knowledge will be of any good to Peter now?" she spits the words out in his face.

"Olivia, I'm not a good man. I used Henry's blood to obtain half of Peter's DNA profile, and then I used it to activate our machine. All Peter clearly wanted was a way for both worlds to survive. If I hadn't been so vengeful, my world, and my grandson, may still be alive. I forced Peter to save the people that he loves, but I was so angry at his kidnapping and choice to stay here, with you, that I wanted to make him suffer for what I then considered his traitorous decision."

"I forgive him for choosing here and the Walter Bishop that raised him. I want to ask his forgiveness, Olivia. He's all I have left. And the child that you are carrying. I know that Peter is sick and dying. Please let me help him. I can help him. It's the least that I can do. Please."

"I won't tell him about Henry until the time is right."

Olivia saw some of her Walter's sincerity in his alternate's eyes. Maybe he did deserve some mercy and compassion.

"All right, I will ask him. But you do not get to see him today. You will be searched and under armed guard. I'm not sorry to say that although I understand your feelings, I still do not trust you. And if Peter says no, then that's the end of it, do you understand?"

"And you will tell him about his son, because Peter needs to know. I vowed never to keep a secret like that from him ever again. Because it only leads to more trouble and heartache in the end."

**Telling Peter**

"Olivia, God, he could have killed you! Or hurt our baby! Why did you let him speak with you? He thought it was OK to let a creepy ghoul of a scientist try and vivisect you! I'd kill him myself if I could actually hold a gun…"

"People change, Peter. I just… feel that he is very remorseful for the whole thing. He wants to help you."

Peter is not buying it.

"Help me? Now why of all people in this universe, or anyone in this universe for that matter, would he want to help me?"

Olivia cocked her head at Peter, the way she always does when she wants to state something obvious to the too-smart-for-his-own-good-genius.

"Because you're his son."

Peter relents because of Olivia's insistence. He loves her forgiving heart, but wonders if her faith is misplaced.

So, the visit is allowed. Surrounded by two armed Fringe agents, Walternate walks into the area serving as Peter' room in the Bishop home. He is now face-to-face for the first time with Peter since his son left his office years ago, never to return because he chose to give a long desired relationship with Olivia a shot.

"Hello, Son."

Peter's mind flashes back to that fateful day in the Pacific Northwest, when Newton found him in the seedy motel, and he shivers just like he did that day. He is like that lost and scared little boy that stared in confusion and awe at his real father. A soul that had no clue where he belonged and who he belonged to.

But this time there is a difference. This once proud and stern former Secretary of Defense seems broken down. He has definite tears in his eyes. Peter stares hard, silent for a minute, then swallows hard.

"Walter?"


	10. Downward Spiral

It's dark. Pitch black to be exact.

Yet he is aware of it all.

A voice is singing to him. Is that an Irish Lullaby?

_I see the moon, the moon sees me_

_shining through the leaves of the old oak tree_

_Oh, let the light that shines on me_

_shine on the one I love._

His mother.

He opens his eyes.

She washes away the sweat and tears from her dying son's face. He feels so feverish, yet his body is shaking uncontrollably like he is freezing in subzero temperatures.

Yet he discovers that there is another visage of his mother on the other side of the bed that is actually the source of the singing.

"Why are you both doing this for me? He looked at one mother. "You killed yourself because you believed that everything that went wrong in your life was because of me? He turns his head to the other. "I…killed you and everyone you loved. Including your grandson."

Both women speak in unison:

"A mother can forgive the transgressions of her beloved son, Peter. But _they_ may not feel so merciful…"

They then look away from him in a state of sadness and disappointment, then slowly walk out the door of the room as streams of tears flow like a storm over Peter's cheeks.

As the door closes, he cries out with a strangled voice, "No, please… don't leave me here alone to die…"

Peter is convinced that this is Hell. His eyes close and as he reopens them, finds that the quiet and surreal sick room has morphed into something spacious and very noisy. They?

A courtroom. Of thousands. Peter is on the stand as a jury prepares to read a verdict. Cries of murderer, Devil, Hell-spawn and worse echo through the air. The verbal slings and arrows strike Peter like physical weapons of war, stinging, burning and twisting into his mind. It's so loud, that the din makes him feel like that he might go mad.

_Is this what it feels like to have the thoughts of thousands all clamoring for attention, unfiltered and insistent ringing through one's head?_

"Punishment for Peter Bishop? Found guilty as the unprecedented destroyer of billions of lives?"

"Crucify him!" A unified lobby of thousands demands.

"No, no, this isn't real. It's all in my head. It's all in my head," Peter repeats to himself in mantra like trance.

_Crucified? I'm not Jesus… I'm not Spartacus! You've got to be kidding?_

But as heavy metal spikes are driven into his delicate flesh, breaking through the bones in each of his wrists, and the ankles of his feet, the pain he feels is unimaginable. Peter cries out in absolute agony, as he is lifted up, arms and legs outstretched in a position similar to how he connected to the machine that destroyed his home universe, and all the people living there - including his unknown son.

He lingers on for what seems like days… people spit on him and throw all kinds of disgusting things at him as he slowly bleeds out and dehydrates.

As his last breath draws, Peter only thinks of the sons he could have known - one destroyed and one conceived because of his choice. He has failed at being a better man than his father.

Then…

…

…

…

…

… there is a very bright light. Everything is as luminous as a star going supernova in his mind.

Peter wonders if it an angel, ready to guide him to a place of total sensory deprivation in order to await judgment.

He breathes in very sharply like a bellows, as fast as it can be pumped. It is as if he were still a mortal body, dependent upon oxygen, and whose lungs are starving for it to filter into his quickly pumping blood.

As his eyes focus, he realizes that there are two men wearing doctors scrubs above him. Tubes lace his arms and throat like vines, and Peter can hear the insistent hum and steady beeps of nearby machinery. The place smells artificial to him - too clean and antiseptic.

He's bound down to a narrow bed and unable to move either his arms and legs.

He freaks and starts to shake because he does not have the physical strength to do any damage to his binds.

But a friendly hand takes hold of his, and kind eyes shine back into his gaze.

"Whoa, Son." It's all right. You've been under the effects of psychotropic drugs for awhile and may have experienced some rather… unpleasant dreams. You're safe. We won't let anything terrible happen to you."

Walter. Peter stops panting and after a minute, he is able to breath a sigh of relief, but then his muscles stiffen in fear as he sees Walter's double also looking over him. His mind is a thick fog of confusion.

_Has he forced Walter to harm me? No, Walter would rather die than hurt me in any manner. Only if… God , no… only if Walternate threatened Olivia and the baby!_

"GET HIM OUT OF HERE!" he says as hard as his weakened lungs will allow him to project. Peter starts to thrash again against the bed, in a futile effort to do something to protect himself.

Both Walters hold him down and a mild sedative is administered to the defiant and confused Peter.

But then he remembers the truce that has been initiated between he and his birth father. Walternate said he'd so anything to help save his life. Peter had agreed because honestly, he felt he had nothing to lose. However, Olivia is not allowed to be anywhere near Walternate during this shaky rebuilding of trust.

"His blood pressure is spiking and so are his neural patterns. He must have been dreaming, which is good," Walternate reported to the other elder Bishop.

"Hopefully, as brutal as it can be, the lucid dream-state therapy keep his mind insulated from the shock as we try to trick his cells into producing a highly stable DNA ligase, in order to reverse the damage to his DNA and also prevent any junk DNA from causing further issues."

A few days pass…

…

…

…

Walter slams his fist into the lab table, scaring several assistants across the room.

"Damn it!, it should have worked.! But his DNA is still unwinding at the wrong times, and he has free bases that randomly attach themselves to these strands. It's a nightmare that is controllable in these minute numbers, but as time progresses, Peter will just not be able to survive the level of degradation and mutations.

He looks over at Walternate, who is under guard, and shakes his head, his angry countenance replaced by wrinkles of despair and small tremors in his lip and jaw.

"Excuse me, for a moment. I'm going to go cry now."

Walternate slinks down in the visitor's chair beside Peter's bedside. He muses that he was always too busy to do so when Peter was ill as a child. He takes notice of the silver half-dollar lying on the adjustable tray table by Peter's bed. He smiles in remembrance of this relic from Peter's childhood. His mother wanted to him to have hobbies, and she thought that coin-collecting and magic tricks would be good for a mostly bed-ridden young boy.

"Consequences are unpitying." Walternate whispers to Peter. "but you're not the one that set this all into motion. I'm afraid your fathers have failed you, my boy. I swear I won't fail your son, like I failed you."

After the treatment and some therapy, Peter goes home and is now under the care of a full-time home nurse. But Walter is afraid that this is the last time - that Peter has been sent home to die.

Peter soon starts to loose his sight. His pancreas and liver no longer provide the essential services to maintain his metabolism and to filter toxins from his blood. It won't be long before his lungs will need artificial assistance. Then his heart will quit pumping on its own. Finally, the electrical impulses that power his body will no longer be able to sustain life. Peter stated that once his brain is gone, no efforts are to be made to keep him 'alive.'

Olivia has prepared herself for the moment that can come at anytime. It will only be a few weeks before their son makes his arrival, but if his father lives another week, it will be a miracle.

Walter has resigned himself to defeat although they still push on to finding something that may work. He has made funeral plans for his son - Peter has been asked to be buried next to 'his mother.' Walter has been through this before and never thought that he'd be doing it for _this _Peter, too.

Olivia takes the news from Walter as well as can be expected. On this night, she stays with Peter, reading to him from a book he had requested - _One Week _by Ben Tyler. There is only one other sound - a tick-tock much like an insistent metronome, beating the measures of a life as it reaches its end. No more repeats. No more codas. A silenced song. Olivia tries her best to drown it out with her voice.

She stops reading when she notices Peter reaching his shaking hand to her, staring as hard as his clouded half-blind eyes will allow. She misses his beautiful pale-blue eyes so much.

"Please, Olivia. I'd never thought that I'd ever say this, but I WANT to die. Now. Please, smother me, or get some of Walter's drugs and overdose me. Anything, but don't let me die like this," he sobs and pleads with her.

"I'm not an animal…"

Olivia's grip tightens, almost hurting Peter in his weakened state. She immediately lessens the strength of her fingers entwined with his, even though she fears that if she does not hold tight, that he'll somehow slip away from her. Her heart pushes so hard that she can feel it in her throat and her ears pulse. _Is Peter no better than a dog? A dog would have had its life mercifully ended long ago._ Olivia shakes her head of these thoughts_. Peter is not a dog, and as long as he draws breath, I'm not giving up on him._

"I'm sorry, Peter, but that is something I just can't do. As much as I love you and hate to see you in so much torment, I just can't."

"Liv… Why?" Peter asks softly in a defeated and tired manner that makes Olivia want to cry out to God for mercy on him. But Olivia gets up and turns out the lamp next to Peter's bed, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead.

"Because, Love, I have to believe in hope."

….

….

….

….

**A/N : Hanging in there? Sorry for the long time to get this chapter up, but it's been very busy for me. This one had me writer's blocked for a bit. The next chapters are going to be dark, and we'll be digging in for Peter's fate. But take heart. All is not as it seems.**


	11. Non Omnis Moriar

**AN: Short update here. I have a few chapters left, so thanks to those that have kept reading. I have a few more story ideas that I'm pondering for my next story. Something raunchy? Or a Fringe/X-files crossover that has been rattling around in a Notepad for awhile?**

…

…

Walter awakens with a snuffle. Even the little sleep that he has been getting has offered him no rest, no escape from the immense emotional pain he felt at all times. He was ashamed at first, because this weakness could hinder his work to save Peter. But, he now knows that this is his greatest motivator.

_To think I was worried about the Observers taking him. I never dreamed that it would be what made me take him in the first place…._

Walter rubs the sleep from his eyes and reaches over into a glass jar filled with Red Vines. His eyes still focusing, the weary father admires the simplicty of his favorite candy. Then, his eyes catch a lab report concerning Olivia's amniocentesis. Deciding to give it a through look-over, he picks it up and reads carefully, making for certain that Olivia and Peter's child was going to be all right. As he flips through the findings, he wonders if something is missing. Something that the lab technician would not know to test for, or that it even existed. The pages are all quickly scanned and inpected. Walter then giggles like a boy.

"Yes! Yes! Why didn't I think of this before! Oh, my... Oh, dear... "

Walter is nervous and pushes his hands to his mouth; he is so excited and hopeful, but also afraid that he may elated for nothing.

Quickly, Walter calls Brandon in his lab and asks him to retrieve the stored natal fluid sample. Walter prays that he'll find what he is looking for.

After a quick run through the spectrometer, Walter smiles from ear-to-ear at the results, the first he has displayed since helping decorate his grandson's nursery.

Breathing a sigh of relief into the cool and well-lit lab, he closes his eyes, bows his head and utters a heart-felt "Thank You."

He then calls Olivia, and tells her that he has some auspicious news.

…

…

…

"The baby can save Peter…"

"But how? And is there any chance that it will harm the baby?" Olivia is resting on the small loveseat in Walter's office. The pregnancy has finally gotten to the point that she has given in to slowing down. Some.

"Peter's DNA randomly uncoils. Now normally, this makes it active and is a basis for some Cancer. But with Peter, the strands just disintegrate…into base proteins. Which is bad, because they can link up with other DNA as it replicates."

"The genetic material from your child can be used to repair the damage to Peter's DNA. But the major boon is that the Cortexiphan from you has been passed genetically to your son. This was not an intention of our trials, but is quite fortuitous for us now. This means that the boy will be able to develop skills of his own as he matures. But of primary concern to us, at this moment, is the healing and transformative effects of his profile on adult living tissue and the nucleotides that make up the protein chains in each type of differentiated cell. It's all a simple matter of fetal stem-cell gene therapy. Additions here, deletions there… but the Cortexiphan is key."

"It allows you to travel through the fabric between worlds because it holds your molecules together, even if they slip a little. Peter's issue is his DNA is unwinding, falling apart. The "glue" that holds the bonds between each nucleotide pairing is faulty. But the introduction of a permanent Cortexiphan shielding will keep the double strands together… but not to the point of giving Peter the ability to pass between worlds. There must be Cortexiphan in the brain as well, for that to happen."

"So Walter, what you are trying to say is that our child is some sort of super-baby? Ugh, this is too _X-Files _like for me."

"No, Dear. Don't be silly. This is the cutting edge of science, not some extra-terrestrial science-fiction plot!

Olivia decides now is the time to seek the truth. She's felt something in her gut a long time about Peter and wants to know the answer to those unasked questions.

Sternly looking at Walter, her eyes grow hard and she fires away…

"Walter… Tell me. Of all people in two universes, why are the two Peter Bishops the only people that have had this disease? Huh? Don't lie to me. What did you do to your boy, and I am assuming Walternate did the same to his?"

Waltern trembles. "It shouldn't have mattered now, and Peter should not think any less of himself because of it..."

Olivia sits up straight, now very interested in Walter's newest confession.

"Louise Brown was not the first test-tube baby. Elizabeth and I were having trouble conceiving. William was interested in genetic manipulation and we were doing in-vitro fertilizations without the knowledge of the government. I… used our genetic material to create the zygote that would become my Peter. Honestly, we had many fertilized eggs to choose from, but I selected his as the most viable. I also manipulated some of his genes, hoping to make him more physically adept and to increase his intellectual capacity. But, the crude techniques we used led to later issues as the boy matured…"

"We really didn't know what we were toying with, William and I. Walter sniffed. We at least knew that removing eggs from a woman's ovaries and quickly handling them did not lead to any degradation. I did have thoughts in the back of my mind that we were pioneering the technique that may possibly lead to a day when humans are grown in tanks, without being carried by women. But, I was arrogant and selfish. I only cared if I got my son. William, he did not approve at first, but he changed his mind when Peter was born and seemed so… normal."

Olivia places her hand on her forehead and sighs, trying with all her might to be civil with the old man.

"Will… the lies and omissions ever stop…"

"Olive…"

"Walter! Peter and I are having a baby. You SAY that Peter's 'genetic illness' does not appear to have been passed to his son. But how do we know that it won't rear its ugly head in the future?"

"Peter was able to impregnate you, and DARE I say your alternate, with a healthy and viable fetus. That is answer enough. If there was anything wrong with his gametes, then pregnancy would have never naturally occurred ."

Olivia's cell phone vibrates and she momentarily ignores it. But the present situation with Peter at home is brought back to the forefront of her mind. Taking it from her pocket, she sees 'Astrid' pop up as the caller.

"Hey, Astrid." She turns away as she can not stand to look at Walter, as she runs her hands through her hair.

The response on the other line is not immediate.

"Olivia…" Astrid's voice finally speaks, though the sound is very muffled and small.

"I'm here, Astrid. What is it?" Olivia is shaken because if Astrid is upset, then something is terribly wrong. "Astrid?"

"You need to come home. Pete…" She chokes up. "Peter… he's dead, Olivia. He was talking with me, and I left the room to go to the bathroom. When I came back, he was gone… he was gone… he's gone."

The phone drops onto the cold tile of the office floor and shatters to pieces.

**Don't worry, I won't leave you hanging for long. Remember, I love Peter, so please don't kill me! :D**

**Update tomorrow.**


	12. Vita Post Mortem

**Vita post mortem**

"I'm calling a cab for us, to go to the airstrip, Walter. I can't… I'm just not able to drive," Olivia says near breathlessly as she sobs. She paces back and forth. Olivia has finally cracked.

Walter takes on a more authoritative stance and puts his hands on her shoulders, stopping her from her frantic and distressed movements.

"Don't lose hope, Olive. We still have some cards in our hand that we can play. Don't fold yet."

Olivia slinks down into a chair and cocks her head at the older Bishop, while squinting through soaked eyes, a sarcastic smirk planted on her lips.

"Peter is dead. The "cards" we're playing with are tarot, and he just pulled Death…"

Walter is on the phone at this time, and he puts his hand up to Olivia as he talks. He calls for the medical team at Fringe Division to take Peter in to Massive Dynamic. It's like a switch had been turned on inside the unbalanced old man, making him more lucent and commanding. This change made Olivia scared, but curious as well.

Walter pulla a chair up to face Olivia, and he speaks.

"I slipped a soul magnet into some of Peter's soup one day." He does not smile or flinch. This revelation is stated with absolute conviction.

Olivia felt her stomach lurch at the very thought of this act. She hopes that her despair and anger do not force her into an early labor…

"Walter, we saw how well that worked out the last time…"

He cuts her off.

"If we hurry, Olivia. I can save him! The past week, I knew that the sand was about to run out, so I had Astrid inject Peter with a serum which will prevent his body from decaying."

Olivia felt all of her breath leave her body. Memories of that terrible organ-snatching case flooded back into her brain. Those thoughts and feelings that she desperately wanted to forget are resurfacing.

"No, Walter! You didn't! If you're talking about the serum that Barrett made, I won't have it! You will not use Peter as a Frankenstein project!"

"Don't you see? We can fix his body and then try to activate the soul magnet!"

"Walter… even if we could, that is no life for Peter to live! He made it damned clear to me that he was suffering and wanted to die. As much as it pains me, I can't do that to him. I can't stand by and watch him suffer any longer for my own selfish reasons.. Besides, from the last time we dealt with William Bell, we learned that the soul does abide somewhere. I take great comfort that Peter's soul is still somewhere and intact. My mother told me before she died to not mourn too hard. She truly believed 'Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?' and although we do not fully understand, I feel we are not abandoned to nothingness when we die. However, Peter's body is broken, and who knows what being dead will do to his brain. We can't risk it."

"My dear, that is where you are wrong. Walternate can help."

"How?"

"When he came here, he brought a briefcase filled with discs of information from his world. They had the tech which can repair the most grievous of wounds. Their advancements in neuroscience are stunning. He tells me that he can repair the damage to Peter's body; make him whole again… they made great advances in regenerative medicine. I experienced this wonder myself, when I was shot on the other side, if you recall."

"He was just on the verge of completing all that was required to repair Peter's organs, enough to at least ease his pain and extend his life. But just like with the cure, death got to him first."

Olivia has never felt so angry, so small, so out of control in her life. As far as she is concerned, Walter had not learned anything from his dealings with things humans should just not dabble in. He is still crossing that line every chance he can take.

She hyperventilates and repeatedly pushes her arms up and down, pounding upon a desk.

"Dear, this isn't good for the baby."

Olivia head shakes in disbelief and she points at Walter, with an accusatory stance.

"Fine, what's done is done. You went ahead with this unethical and terrible action without even discussing it with me! I hope that you know what you are doing, because damn it, Walter… I swear that if this makes Peter suffer any more, then I will NEVER forgive you, and you will NEVER see your grandson. I mean it!"

Walter had enough. He develops an angry tone that he has never used toward Olivia, looking at her with eyes as hard as diamonds.

"Do you think, that I want to see him suffer, Olivia? I love that boy more than myself and would trade my life for his if need be. I know that if there is even a minute possibility that I can restore his life to the same quality, that Peter would want me to risk it. Oh, he'd take the moral high ground with you and say 'let me go,' but he's told me things, too, Olivia. He wants a chance to be in his son's life and to be with you, and he told me that he'd be willing to risk anything to make that happen."

Olivia turns her head and takes a moment to calm down and compose herself. Walter is right. The baby is NOT liking this, and she can feel him kick hard.

"I'm sorry, Walter. It's just that we both love Peter very much and only want what is best for HIM, not us…. But what if you're wrong? What if something doesn't go as planned? He could be brain-damaged for the rest of his life…"

"If people never took risks because of the 'what-ifs,' then humanity would still be sitting in caves somewhere. There is a science-fiction book which says, 'Fear is the mind-killer.' I am a firm believer in this."

"Walter, do whatever it takes to bring Peter back."

…

…

…

Olivia knows better. She should not be stepping into the refrigerated lab at Massive Dynamic. She shouldn't be looking at what lies on the table in front of her. She 's been to countless autopsies and body identifications in her life as a Marine Special Prosecutor and as a FBI agent. Hell, John Scott died in her arms. But nothing scared her more and made her so weak then going to look at the body of Peter Bishop.

Peter. Dead, but not stiff. His eyes forced close, his heart no longer beats, his brain no longer transmits thought. But he is no longer in pain.

But Olivia does it anyway; she has to look at him and most likely tell him goodbye. Their son must feel her emotional turmoil because he is kicking her for all he's worth. Or maybe he knows that this now silent form spread out on an operating table was once a loving, intelligent, determined, humble, humorous, sarcastic and beautiful man. A man with a great heart and an undying, patient love. A man with hopes and dreams that involved her and the product of _their _love.

Olivia thinks back to the case involving Barrett. No matter how much she tries to forget that investigation, it still keeps working its way back into her thoughts.

_The young girl's body re-animated with what was not her soul… _She shivers…

Olivia had not actually seen the girl. Peter later told her that he was a mental wreck for a long time after that night. First, seeing that poor girl's body with whatever confused life-force was in it had totally made him sick and 'freaked him the fuck out.' On top of it, he had to deal with Olivia's utter breakdown and complete rejection of him.

- Pulls the sheet back that is covering her would-be husband. -

- Breath hitches and eyes close hard. -

- Then they slowly open, as she looks him over. -

_This is a mistake. I don't want to remember him like this._

…

…

…

"You know, I've always found it funny that I was labeled the cynic, because, Sweetheart, you sure have me beat," a voice calls from behind her.

Olivia's eyes go wide and she tightens up. _It's can't be… _Slowly her head turns to see who spoke the words to her, but she already knows. She'd know that voice even if she was deaf.

Before she could even speak, he interrupts her with a sly smirk.

"Did ya miss me?"

Standing in the doorway, is a very real-looking Peter Bishop. The same pea-coat adorned vision that appeared to her years ago when she was a prisoner in the other universe. Her guiding light home. He walks toward her, as she stands unmoving and amazed, her eyes not leaving his for a moment. Strong arms embrace her softly, mindful of her very pregnant condition.

Cupping her face in his large hand, he whispers gently in her ear, "You have to trust Walter, Livia." Olivia feels -she FEELS- his lips upon hers as he plants a slow kiss, the tender pressure of which makes her heart flutter.

Then he is gone.

_The part of me that I will always hold on to…_

Both Walters enter the lab flanked by a dozen assistants, and a plethora of machinery.

"Olivia dear, if you have any reservations, we will not…"

Olivia pulls Walter in a tight hug, surprising the elder man and about knocking him off his feet.

"No… I don't. If Peter wanted you to find a way, then proceed with his wishes."

"Ok, here is a basic rundown of our process, so that you'll know. This could take a series of days to complete, and IF we are successful, Peter will need gene therapy for quite awhile… We're are going to go over every inch of Peter's body with an ultra powerful MRI. Then, we'll slowly restart his vital organs. Once he is stable, we'll employ the advanced tools designed by Walternate to repair his damaged organs and nervous system."

Olivia takes Peter's cold, limp hand and gives it a squeeze. She hopes that soon she'll feel his warmth and strength again.

"I have faith in you both." Olivia even glances to Walternate who offers her a smile. Then she starts for the door.

"Olive…"

She stops halfway out of the mechanized doorway… glancing back at a Walter with his chin held high, and a fatherly look upon his brow.

"Please sleep as much as you can, dear. You can do nothing but worry for now and that will not help Peter, you or the child."

Olivia nods her head quickly, unblinking, then heads for a posh room that is normally available for Massive Dynamic guests.

…

…

…

Walter removes a large quantity of type-A blood from a storage unit as the team prepares to bring life to Peter's body - without a consciousness. The body has been kept very cool, but they place it in ice to cool it even further. A blood circulation machine pushes the red life-giving fluid back into Peter's drained body. The dead man's heart is restarted carefully with a finally tuned and large defilbilator. When a pulse is achieved, Walternate uses an advanced neurostimulator to jump-start Peter's central nervous system. They are able to obtain baseline readings for their son's brain.

Walter tries not to tremble with each preparatory step. One mistake could cost their chance to bring Peter back undamaged.

Much time passes, as the doctors and scientists diligently perform their revolutionary work.

"Peter's circulatory and pulmonary systems have been fully restored, sirs," Brandon reports. Walternate still can't get over how different this gangly scientist is compared to the man he knew. Which is fine by him because he never really liked the giant boot-licker, anyway.

Finally, after nearly 36 hours of surgery, Walternate retrieves the precious bags containing the hopeful cure for Peter's genetic illness, once and for all. The isolated stem-cells from his son, containing the DNA transformative Cortexiphan. Olivia had endured a slightly painful process to extract the needed fluid. All were concerned of a slight risk to the child, but since he was due in a few weeks, it lessened the worry of the ramifications of possibly jump-starting contractions.

When all is ready, Walter strikes a circle of 2mHZ tuning forks surrounding Peter's body, followed by a repeat performance at 4 mHz. This was the attunement embedded for Peter's soul magnet.

Not knowing what to expect, both Bishop patriarchs watch Peter and his brain wave patterns.

"His pulse is steady, healthy even. Blood pressure normal for a mid-thirties man that is asleep."

Then a sharp spike is seen on the neural monitors. Waves lines quickly form and form a regular pattern as Walter and Walternate smile at each other with tears in their eyes. Now all they had to do is let him stay under for a few days, then wake him up.

…

…

…

Olivia lies on the twin bed in the sleeping room, holding her mother's cross necklace that Ella had given back to her, because 'Uncle Peter needed to be safe' more than she did. Astrid has been with her some of the time, trying to get Olivia to rest. She has slept some, but her bladder is giving her the most issues.

_I never knew that it was physiologically possible to pee this much…_

She rises as Astrid comes running inside the room like a madwoman, not even knocking.

"Olivia! They did it! Peter… he's alive, awake and asking for you!"

Olivia screams with absolute joy, a rarity in her life. If she could, she'd be jumping up and down as well, but the child is making up for that with some somersaults of his own.

…

…

…

At Peter's bedside, both lovers smile affectionately at each other. Olivia is so thankful that no praise, no words, no prayer could convey her utmost gratitude.

"I'm probably the only man who's had his life saved by his father, alter-father and then his unborn son. I'm just amazed at all that these men have done for me… humbled by it, actually. I really distrusted - my father- right up to the end. But now, I see that his intentions are genuine and that I really should have never doubted your intuition. People do change."

Olivia's face turns a few shades brighter to a dark-pink complexion.

"Well, you're living proof of that, 'ex-con man.' Did you ever think that five years ago, when I grabbed your ass and brought you back, that you'd ever settle down as a father?"

"Sweetheart, honestly my highly unchivalrious and ill-placed goal at the time was just to bed you. Or your sister… Olivia glares at him for a second, because she knows it's true.

"But. After all we've been through together, our baby is still the biggest miracle out of it all."

Her lips upturn slightly in the top corners and she slides down to Peter's ears to whisper, "What was it like? Being… dead?"

She then pulls back quickly, like a child that had questioned the existence of God.

"All I can say, Livia, if that we have no reason to fear death. But that doesn't mean that I don't want a full life with you."

**April 11, 2013: 6:02 A.M. **

Although the small form is covered in blood and other moist secretions from his messy birth, Peter can care less. He severs the bloody cord that ties the child to his life-giving mother, and the wailing baby is whisked away by a nurse in order to be cleaned and tested. "A healthy 8 pounds, 6 ounces and 21 inches long, Mr. Bishop. Congratulations," one of the MD nurses tells him. After expelling the afterbirth, Olivia looks beat, covered in sweat and still breathing hard. She is glancing around now, looking for the result of her literal labor. The child is tightly wrapped up in soft, blue blankets and then handed over to his mother - she falls in love at first sight.

He really is the perfect blend of his parent's features. She is amazed at the vibrant blue eyes staring back at her, and the mop of blonde hair splattered on his little head. She finds that he definitely has Peter's head - the baby cries, his brow slightly furrowing in frustration. However, his nose and mouth are all hers. And so are his lungs, which seem to never run out of breath. She smiles, thinking already of what a little heartbreaker the boy was going to be. And of how thankful she is that the boy's father is alive, so that he can be in her son's life. Olivia likes the sound of that phrase - _her son_. _Their_ son sounds even better.

Peter rolls his wheelchair over to her bed-side to admire the bonding of their new family.

"Welcome to the world, Robert Dunham Bishop. Say Hello to your daddy."

Peter retrieves the swaddled and still crying newborn from Olivia. Robert then quiets as he is cradled against his loving father's chest.

"Well, would you look at that? Peter, I do believe you really have super-calming abilities after all," Olivia muses.

Peter has tears of joy sliding down his cheeks, and he is not ashamed of them.

"Look at him, Olivia. He's so beautiful. Our little miracle, in more ways than one."

Just then, Walter comes bounding into the room, and he's brought Astrid with him. "Oh my God, you two! He's a doll!" Astrid exclaims as Peter cradles the baby, and she takes a peek.

Walter is awestruck looking at Peter holding his grandson. Both of them - alive.

"Peter," he says, holding his arms out. "May I?"

"Of course, Walter." Peter gently cradles the baby's head and transfers the precious bundle to Walter, who is now sitting in the room's rocking chair. He starts humming a lullaby. But little Robert soon starts to fuss and Walter knows why…

"Has he eaten?

"Ummm… no… in fact.."

One of the nurses explains it would be a good idea for everyone to leave Olivia, Peter, and the baby alone so that he can eat. Olivia had decided to breast-feed him before he was born.

"Wow, this feels ten kinds of awkward, you know? And he is really giving my nipples a run for the money."

"Well, he is a Bishop boy. He probably has an insatiable appetite," Peter chuckles as he sits to the side, waiting for Robert to finally decide that he's had enough.

"His father does have that problem, in more ways than one," Olivia winks to her beloved.

When the baby is through, he is placed in the bassinet for a nap. Peter grabs Olivia's hand and holds it as she drifts to sleep for a much-deserved rest.

Later, everyone has their turn holding the newest addition to the Fringe family. Peter is proud that hatred had been set aside so that both his father and his dad can enjoy their grandson.

Walternate is absorbed in the child, cooing at the boy as he softly bats at the air. He looks up at Peter, his eyes moistened ever so slightly, and he smiles.

"His birth has brought balance back to this world, Peter."

Peter can't be happier. Well, he and Olivia need to finally get married. But otherwise his life has turned out pretty well, considering a few weeks ago he was dead. It is still a long road to full-recovery for him, but he's determined to get back to his old self. He vows to always be there for his son and his mother.

Even when the first diaper needs changed - now that's love.


	13. Legacy

A middle aged man watches several young children play in a yard. He has just attended a memorial service for his mother. His sister sits down next to him, watching the children and smiling for them.

"I've been going through some of the things that mom wanted us to have," she says. "I think this one was meant for you. It was Dad's."

Robert Bishop takes the case from Anna, and opens it. Inside there is a leather bound book. He opens it and sees a dedication. Yes, it was definitely his father's.

Robert takes his time that evening reading through the journal/scrapbook that his father has painstakingly assembled so long ago.

Robert knew full well of the amazing lives that his parents had lived. They were almost legend. Peter didn't talk too much about those days, but Olivia told many tales of their adventures and trials together. Robert knew that his birth was no accident; that he had saved his father's life. It was also interesting that the destructive anomalies that plagued the world in those days just stopped occurring. Afterwards, Olivia and Peter had financed the Walter Bishop Fringe Science Foundation, a state-of-the-art research facility where the world's best scientific minds pushed the envelope of human understanding for the betterment of all humanity. Both of his grandfathers were the first chief scientists.

Peter spent the rest of his working life as CEO of Massive Dynamic. Olivia was in charge of international relations and philanthropy for the corporation, a champion of ethical business everywhere. The both of them spent a lot of time with various charities, trying to make the world a better place, especially for children. The media thought that it was strange that neither of them lived like billionaires. Many reporters tried to get evidence of Peter's 'playboy lifestyle' that truly didn't exist. He faithfully loved one woman only. Their love story was a rough road, but it was beautiful.

His parents were nearly inseparable, so it was no surprise as to how Olivia reacted to Peter's death last year. He had died peacefully in his sleep one night, while sitting on the couch watching old _X-Files _episodes. His mother had said that her Mulder… her touchstone…was dead. Olivia pretty much had lost the will to live. She had a full life with him and said she wanted to rest…

_Rest in Peace, Mother. And say Hello to Dad for me…_

His father had always encouraged him to be the best man that he could be. Robert Bishop was a top bioengineer, and he had been in charge of Massive Dynamic for 15 years now, his father giving him control when he finally retired. Anna had a long career in the FBI and taught at Quantico. She is respected as the daughter of Peter Bishop and Olivia Dunham, some of the most revered names in the history of the Bureau.

As far as Robert is concerned, no man was better than his father.

The book ends with Peter's notes about Robert's birth and a wedding picture of him and Olivia.

Robert yawns, closes the book and carefully puts it back in its case. He recalls the home that Olivia and Peter had shared for 50 years - filled with the laughter of the 'Bishop Tribe' - two children, then several grandchildren, plus ticket stubs, photos, drawings and other ephemera - evidence of a life shared together.

He smiles and thinks:

_Sometimes in life, there are happy endings._

**The End -**

**Thank you so much folks. I hope that the journey has been enjoyed, and the ending satisfactory.**


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